mlts22 wrote:
I'm curious to see how the Transit five-banger coming out this summer in the US compares to the model you rented (or as Europeans say, "hired") in France.
What I want to see in the US is the extra-tall "B" van, similar to the pre-Sprinter Airstream "B"s. This would allow the RV maker to either make a loft bed, or for the people too lazy to climb up, have a bed that drops down, similar to the Winnebago Trend, but when the bed is up, still have a reasonable standing height.
The bulk of Transit sales to RV manufacturers in Europe has been the front-drive version that competes with Ducato, Master and the VW T-van, which most often carries the 2.2 or 2.4 Duratorq, although the 2.0 is available and shows up in ads (for sales and rentals) in entry-level C's and a lot of van conversions. Similarly, VW T-vans in the RV conversion market do not often have the largest available engine.
The 3.2 Duratorq that will be modified to become a Powerstroke was used in "heavy goods" size Transits (i.e. over 3500 KG) that do not play much of a role in the RV industry, due to tax and licensing issues.
Our market is different, because we don't run into those vehicle size roadblocks until we get to 8600 to 26,000 pounds (depending on state) and most states make exemptions for RVs (but not necessarily RV tow vehicles). Thus European vans brought over here can have higher GVWRs without killing marketability, and our driving styles and penchant for towing things behind our vans and RVs means we get bigger engines than used in Europe or East Asia. Australia also gets the bigger vans and bigger engines, the market and licensing rules are more like ours.
